Too Much Stimulation

The intense Yin Qi had already made Ji Yuan uncomfortable, but he also noticed that at least two Yin Cha had positioned themselves squarely in front of him, seemingly intentionally blocking a significant portion of the Yin Qi impact for this mortal.

At this moment, the four City God Subordinates in the courtyard were unleashing their power, while the other Yin Cha, aside from the nine Soul Hook Emissaries controlling the Soul Binding Locks, were mostly on standby, ready to assist.

If this could be called a battle, in Ji Yuan's view, it was simply that terrifying ghost creature being bound by the Soul Binding Locks in the air and getting beaten—literally, hanging and beaten.

When the Judge's Brush and Soul Striking Whip landed on the ghost creature, they triggered piercing shrieks and reduced some of its Sha Qi.

This wasn't the first time Ji Yuan had entertained various speculations and doubts about his eyesight, and this time it only deepened that feeling. Not only could he clearly see each Yin Cha and the ghost creature, but he could even perceive the process of the Sha Qi being scattered and dissipated.

As if truly sensing the critical moment, the ghost creature bound by the Soul Binding Locks struggled more and more violently.

"Ah——"

Amid the shrieks, countless pale white arms shot out, grabbing at the surrounding Yin Cha.

Several City God Subordinates swung their artifacts, filling the courtyard with clashing Yin Qi of different natures, blocking most of the ghostly claws in an instant. But still, six or seven Yin Cha were caught, including three Soul Hook Emissaries.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"...

Some Yin Cha slashed at the ghost creature's claws with their blades to free their companions, but the sound was like metal striking metal.

"Heh heh uh~~~~~"

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

Seven Yin Cha were directly crushed by the pale white arms, their Ghost Bodies dissolving into black mist that was sucked into the claws. Three Soul Binding Locks lost control, whipping around like giant lashes as the ghost creature thrashed.

"Bam!"

"Bam!"

"Bam!"

Several nearby Yin Cha were struck by the Soul Binding Locks, their souls flickering unsteadily as they were sent flying.

"How dare you!"

The four Incense Subordinates glared with fury, leaping forward together. Four streams of Yin Qi mixed with the scent of sandalwood merged above the courtyard, weaving into a large net.

"Fall!"

The net descended, trapping the nearly escaped ferocious ghost creature.

Woo~ Wah~

A gale erupted in the courtyard—no longer just Yin Qi and Yin Wind, but a true, fierce wind. The Large Jujube Tree's branches swayed violently, and leaves and debris seemed to break free from the formation's restrictions, flying wildly. Ji Yuan could only raise a hand to shield his face from the dust and leaves.

Beyond the shock, Ji Yuan's heart was filled with lingering fear.

'Damn, was this the kind of thing I was dealing with just now? Good thing it liked to 'chew slowly'—if it had shown this form, I'd have been dead before I could even unleash my big move!'

Judge Wu spun his Judge's Brush as it rose, shouting loudly.

"Drain its soul energy and spirit power!"

The other three City God Subordinates also activated their artifacts to attack, and the other Yin Cha joined in, striking through the net. The Soul Binding Locks, in particular, made the ghost creature convulse with every hit.

"Heh ah——"

The scream nearly pierced Ji Yuan's eardrums. The ghost creature inside the giant net swelled rapidly. Judge Wu saw the danger, withdrew his Judge's Brush, turned its tip into a needle, and stabbed fiercely into the center of the net.

"Break for me!"

"Boom!!!"

Yin Qi and Sha Qi exploded, all of it venting onto Judge Wu.

With a crash, Judge Wu was sent flying by the blast, and a gap instantly appeared in the net restraining the terrifying ghost creature.

"No good!"

"Block it!"

The other three City God Subordinates immediately poured in more power, but they couldn't seal the gap left by Judge Wu. The ghost creature was about to break free.

With the Arranged defenses of Ju'an Pavilion, this ferocious entity probably couldn't escape to wreak havoc on Ning'an County, but the many Yin Cha inside the Soul Locking Array were in grave danger.

Ji Yuan didn't know exactly how dire the situation was, but even as an outsider, as long as he wasn't blind, he could see that things were very dangerous now.

Sitting in the courtyard at this point didn't seem safe either...

In his fear, Ji Yuan instinctively stood up, intending to flee, but he didn't expect this to trigger an unforeseen change.

Ji Yuan's sudden rise made the ferocious ghost creature's increasingly violent struggles come to an abrupt halt, as if it had been severely startled, shrinking back into the Soul Trapping Net.

"A perfect chance! Don't freeze up!!"

With the shout, Judge Wu had already returned to his position.

Ghost creatures may be foolish, but the City God's subordinates and Yin Cha are not. Behind the four Department Heads under the City God's command, Incense Shadows began to spread, their forms seeming to rise slightly, official robes billowing.

The massive net lit up with streaks of gray light as it contracted. The four Department Heads waved their hands, and four Soul Binding Locks flew forth. They swung them forward, and the locks transformed into four Spirit Serpents, tightly coiling around the net radiating gray light.

After that close call, they understood that even if this ferocious ghost creature had suffered severe damage, they couldn't take it lightly without paying a heavy price. Now, they were putting all their cards on the table!

"O City God, mingling with the mundane, exorcise evil and bind demons, illuminate the eight wilds!"

From the direction of the City God Temple, wisps of Incense Power like Smoke Wisps flew over, falling into the courtyard of Ju'an Pavilion. The four City God Department Heads surged with immense momentum.

"Though Ning'an County governs no more than ten thousand people, we will not allow you, vile creature, to wreak havoc. Die!"

Judge's Brush, Soul Striking Whip, Discipline Record, Fortune and Longevity Robe—leveraging Heavenly Time and Earthly Advantage, they struck the ferocious ghost creature with full force.

"Boom..."

Within the courtyard of Ju'an Pavilion, it was as if thunder sounded...

Ji Yuan had been holding his breath for quite a while. In truth, if he were timing it with a stopwatch, he would be stunned at how strong his breath-holding ability had become.

Only when the ghost creature's shrill wailing grew weaker and weaker, until it finally turned to ash, did Ji Yuan slowly let out a breath.

'Good, good, the side of justice won!'

His legs a bit weak, Ji Yuan sat back down on the small chair in front of the house. But once he had somewhat recovered, he felt something was off.

He looked up—good heavens. The formation's energy in the courtyard had vanished, and the four City God Department Heads and all the Yin Cha were standing in the yard, facing him.

Ji Yuan's throat tightened slightly. He didn't even dare swallow. They weren't going to silence him, were they?

After a long moment, Judge Wu took the lead, and the other three Department Heads and all the Yin Cha stepped forward, cupping their hands.

"We were blind, failing to recognize a Master!"

"Thank you for your help!"

A chorus of thanks rang out.

Earlier, they had wondered if a Master had passed by and exposed the ghost creature's weak point, never imagining that the Master had been sitting leisurely in the courtyard all along. Truly, a True Man does not show his hand, and one who shows his hand is no True Man!

The four Department Heads said little more. From the man's actions in the courtyard, it was clear he did not wish to be disturbed. So after cupping their hands repeatedly, they led the City God's various Yin Cha out of Ju'an Pavilion, intending to first report to the Lord City God and decide later.

Ji Yuan also didn't know what to say to them. His understanding of City Gods and such was limited. After mulling it over in his mind with no clear thoughts, he simply said nothing.

To be honest, Ji Yuan didn't want to be this Master in this situation. But the ghost creature was indeed gravely wounded by him—no faking that. Accepting their thanks was only right and proper, wasn't it?

When the courtyard fell silent again, with only a gentle breeze blowing, Ji Yuan slumped back in his chair like a dead dog, rubbing his heart, which had been jolted repeatedly.

He lifted his head, opened his weary eyes, and looked at the water well in the yard. The eerie, terrifying feeling had vanished, bringing him a bit more peace of mind.

'At this rate, I'll end up with a heart attack one of these days!'

After calming down for a moment, Ji Yuan had the energy to let his mind wander.

For instance, what exactly had been in the well? Even if he didn't know much about such things, it was clearly no ordinary Vicious Ghost. And why, given such a short distance, had the Ning'an County City God not come in person? There was probably another reason for that.